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Special needs students get special prom night

Special needs students at Daviess County High School are having a special prom night on Saturday.

Kandi Gilbreath, special services teacher at DCHS, said the Council for Exceptional Children raised money to rent a limo for the night.

Leah Hoover, assistant professor of education and co-chair of the professional studies division at Kentucky Wesleyan College, got involved and helped raise more money for a dinner for the students.

“They’re going to cook the dinner, serve it and clean up afterward,” Gilbreath said. “Their art department is painting a backdrop, taking pictures and setting up a photo booth. It’s going to be great.”

Hoover said students in her adolescent child development class have to do two service projects a year.

They chose the prom as one of the projects, she said.

The students also raised money for prom attire for the students, Hoover said.

“We’re going to have a red carpet leading into the Winchester Center,” she said. “We’ll have linen tablecloths, but a kid-friendly meal.”

KWC will also have an ice cream sundae and cupcake bar for the students, Hoover said.

The photo booth will take regular pictures and also superimpose the students’ pictures onto beach scenes, surfing scenes and other scenes.

Students will also get goodie bags at the college, Hoover said.

She said she learned about the pre-prom plans from her daughter, Natalie, who is a peer tutor for special needs students at DCHS.

It’s going to be a great night for the students, Hoover said.

The students will meet at the high school at 5 p.m. with their parents for pictures, Gilbreath said.

Then, the limos will take them to KWC.

“Did you know that limos on prom night cost $700?” Gilbreath said. “We have about 20 students, so it will have to make two trips.”

After the dinner, the students will go to the prom at the Hines Center, she said.

The prom theme this year is “A Midsummer Night’s Dream.”

This is the first year for the special needs dinner and limo ride, Gilbreath said.

“This event will mean as much or more to me and to the peer tutors and staff that attend than it will to the students,” she said. “I expect there to be lots of tears as we get to experience what a blessing it is for these students to be able to attend.”